'John Dies at the End' & Three More Films Added to Sundance 2012

We've already gotten a look at the detailed, completeline-up of films heading to Park City, Utah for the 2012 Sundance Film Festival which myself and Alex Billington will be covering in the middle of January next year. However, the Sundance Institute has just added four more films to their roster including the very strange and peculiar, wild and trippy looking film John Dies at the End, a film starring Chase Williamson and Rob Mayes, and also includes Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman and Doug Jones. See the trailer right here and see the other three last minute Sundance selections below!

Late additions aren't uncommon and include films like The Future from Miranda July and The Kids Are All Right from Lisa Cholodenko which landed a Best Picture nomination last year. John Cooper, Director of Sundance says, “Each of these four films is an accomplishment in its own right, and collectively, their addition to our program allows us to present a broader look at independent filmmaking." And the films are:

Premieres:

A showcase of some of the most highly anticipated dramatic films of the coming year from new and established directors. Presented by Entertainment Weekly. Each is a world premiere.

Predisposed (Directors & Screenwriters: Philip Dorling, Ron Nyswaner) — Eli Smith, a piano prodigy, is dealing with his troubled mother and enlisting help from a hapless drug dealer on the day he has an audition for a prestigious music program. Events spiral comically out of control as this gang of misfits faces the mistakes of the past, the challenges of the future, and the possibilities of love. Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Melissa Leo, Tracy Morgan, Sarah Ramos, Isiah Whitlock Jr. World Premiere.

Spotlight:

Regardless of where these films have played throughout the world, the Spotlight program is a tribute to the cinema we love.

This Must Be The Place / Italy, France, Ireland (Director: Paolo Sorrentino, Screenwriter: Umberto Contarello, Paolo Sorrentino) — A bored, retired rock star sets out to find his father's executioner, an ex-Nazi war criminal who is a refugee in the U.S. Cast: Sean Penn, Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch. North American Premiere.

Park City at Midnight:

Home to horror films and crazy comedies, Black Dynamite, The Blair Witch Project and Saw are among the films that have screened here.

John Dies at the End (Director: Don Coscarelli, Screenwriter: Don Coscarelli, based on a novel by David Wong) — On the street they call it Soy Sauce – a drug that allows users to drift across time and dimensions. But some who come back are no longer human. Can John and David stop the oncoming horror? No. They can't. Cast: Allison Weissman, Chase Williamson, Rob Mayes, Paul Giamatti, Clancy Brown, Glynn Turman. World Premiere.

John Cooper, Director of Sundance says: "The overall quality of the films in the 2012 Competition section will make for an exciting Festival and a remarkable year ahead for independent film audiences everywhere." Robert Redford: "We are, and always have been, a festival about the filmmakers. So what are they doing? What are they saying? They are making statements about the changing world we are living in. Some are straight-forward, some novel and some offbeat but always interesting. One can never predict. We know only at the end, and I love that." Sundance is one of my favorite festivals, I'm always excited to see the line-up. Sundance 2012 runs from January 19th to 29th next month. For more info: sundance.org/festival/.